Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

The water droplets leaped only a centimeter or two into the air, shattering the glassy surface of the water as they fell. At the same time, Kimura Hiroshi felt a slight tremor beneath his feet. He looked at the stone table by the pool, where a celadon wine cup was slowly sliding from the center to the edge.

An earthquake. A small earthquake.

Hiroshi Kimura's expression changed. He had studied tsunami science. Tsunamis are generally formed by undersea earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. Seismic waves travel along the seabed and form towering waves when they reach the edge of the continental shelf. However, seismic waves can also travel through rock layers at a faster speed than seawater. Therefore, major tsunamis are always preceded by earthquakes.

What Su Enxi said might be true.

The alarms sounded suddenly. First, the sirens on the distant breakwater blared, one after another, like the howls of a wounded wild animal. Then, searchlights flashed on, their beams piercing the night sky like white swords, sweeping across the sea. Wherever the lights reached, the sea level could be seen rising abnormally.

Hiroshi Kimura ran to the edge of the hot spring pool, held onto the railing, and looked down.

The Kuroishi Mansion is built atop a cliff, with steep rock walls and a cluster of black reefs below. At the outermost edge of the reefs stands a small vermilion torii gate, built by fishermen during the Edo period to pray for safe passage at sea; it is over two hundred years old.

Just minutes ago, the torii gate was fully above the water, its vermilion pillars clearly visible in the moonlight. Now, its lower half is submerged. The sea is rising at a visible speed, white waves crashing against the black reef, the spray shimmering under the searchlights.

Chaos had broken out on the beach. Police rushed ashore, whistling, and used flashlights to guide tourists who were still night fishing or strolling to higher ground. Some people were running frantically, while others were still hesitatingly packing their fishing gear. The cries of children, the shouts of adults, and the wailing of sirens mingled together, faintly carried on the night wind.

The phone rang. The ringing came from a niche beside the hot spring pool. It was the official residence's internal phone line, directly connected to the Coast Guard's hotline. Kimura Hiroshi quickly walked over and answered the phone.

“This is the Blackstone Mansion,” he said.

"Mr. Kimura? This is Kobayashi from the Coast Guard." The voice on the other end of the phone was urgent and tense. "Tsunami warning! Three minutes ago, a tsunami struck Kannonsaki on the Miura Peninsula, with initial wave heights estimated to be over three meters. According to calculations, the tsunami front will reach Atami in five minutes. The Kuroishi Mansion is located on high ground and should not be directly affected, but you are at the forefront of the coast, so please be sure to keep a close watch. If there are any abnormalities, please notify us immediately!"

“Understood,” Kimura Hiroshi said in a deep voice, “We will be careful.”

He hung up the phone and walked back behind Su Enxi. The girl sat by the pool, her posture almost unchanged, except that the silver wine jug in her hand was empty. She placed the jug aside, placed her hands on either side of her body, and tilted her head slightly back, as if waiting for something.

"It's the Coast Guard calling," Kimura Hiroshi reported. "The tsunami is definitely coming. They said the Black Stone Residence should be safe, but they want us to keep a close watch."

"This tsunami was spectacular," Su Enxi said calmly.

Most people would be nervous upon hearing that a tsunami is about to strike, but Su Enxi's tone was as if she were saying, "The moon is very round tonight."

Hiroshi Kimura followed her gaze to the horizon where the sea met the sky. At first, there was only a thin white line there, almost invisible in the moonlight. But the white line was rapidly thickening and brightening, as if an invisible giant brush was drawing an ever-widening silver edge on the sea. At the same time, a deep, continuous rumbling sound came from afar, not like the sound of waves, but more like the sound of thousands of drums being beaten simultaneously.

The seawater began to recede.

This was no illusion. The seawater below the cliff was receding rapidly, revealing a seabed that had never been exposed before: black rock beds, green seaweed, stranded shells, and struggling small fish. The receding area was expanding, from tens of meters to hundreds of meters, until the entire beach was exposed, the wet sand reflecting an eerie light under the moonlight.

This is a typical sign of an impending tsunami: the seawater recedes rapidly, building up momentum for the coming giant wave.

Chapter 460 Mermaid (Part 1)

A thin, silvery line appeared where the sky met the sea, looking like a thin layer of flowing mercury coated on the surface of the ocean. It was actually a massive tidal wave, its crests carrying rolling white waves, advancing relentlessly towards the coastline.

Then the bell rang out, its sound powerful and resonant. The monks of the mountain temple struck the ancient bell, its deep sound piercing through the wind and rain, praying for the sea and bringing a sense of calm to this small coastal town. The bell's sound echoed through the valley, intertwining with the ever-approaching sound of the tide to create the most ancient symphony between heaven and earth.

The tide was getting closer and closer. Kimura Hiroshi stood on the high cliff of the Black Stone Mansion, initially looking down at the silver line, then gradually raising his gaze. The sea rolled up in front of him, millions of tons of seawater forming a giant wall that pushed towards him.

At that moment, the world seemed to fall silent. Kimura Hiroshi could not hear the bells or the wind; he could only hear his own heart pounding heavily in his chest, one beat after another, like a war drum urging him on.

The black wall of water collided with the black rocky beach with a deafening roar like thunder.

The colossal wall shattered upon impact, sending towering white waves crashing into the sky. The vermilion torii gate, standing tall by the sea, was the first to be destroyed, its massive beams, weighing several tons, lifted high atop the white waves, tumbling and bobbing in the surging torrents, as fragile as a small boat folded from red paper. The tide continued forward, crashing violently against the high cliffs, the torrential white water flowing upwards like an inverted waterfall rushing towards the sky, then dispersing at its highest point into a torrential downpour.

Cherry blossoms fell in the torrential rain and howling wind. As far as Kimura Hiroshi could see, there was only a vast expanse of white water. The only sounds he could hear were the howling wind and the raging rain. The world had been reduced to a primal arena of water and force.

Kimura Hiroshi silently opened the large black umbrella, steadily sheltering Su Enxi from the sun. As the butler of the Black Stone Mansion, he told himself he must have such composure, remaining calm even in the face of imminent collapse. Kimura Hiroshi did not consider himself merely an ordinary servant hired to maintain the mansion; he saw himself as a samurai serving his lord.

The way of the samurai lies in loyalty and steadfastness. Even if the raindrops are a deluge of arrows, the samurai will never retreat a single step as long as his lord does not back down.

His monarch remained unmoved at that moment.

Su Enxi sat gracefully under the umbrella, holding a small jade cup in her hand, the sake inside shimmering slightly. She even leisurely splashed in the hot spring water, her slender, white ankles creating a strange contrast with the surrounding turmoil. Her gaze pierced through the rain, looking down at the city being swallowed up.

The buildings of Atami City bobbed and sank like matchboxes in the raging tide. The waves crashed against the breakwaters built into the mountains, smashing cars, boats, and houses that couldn't be evacuated in time to pieces. Nowhere else in the world could one witness such a terrifying storm; standing before it, humanity truly felt its own insignificance and powerlessness.

“Listen,” Su Enxi suddenly said, “there’s crying.”

Hiroshi Kimura paused slightly, listening intently. At first, there were only the sounds of wind, rain, and tide, but gradually, another sound pierced through these natural clamors and entered his ears—the cry of a baby.

It wasn't just one or two babies, but hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of babies crying amidst the roar of the waves. Their cries were heart-wrenching, shrill and piercing, like countless steel knives scraping against their eardrums. Kimura Hiroshi suddenly felt a splitting headache; the cries, filled with an inhuman shrillness, sent chills down his spine.

Just then, a bolt of lightning, like a serpent of light, tore through the night sky and struck the sea. The instantaneous light illuminated the dense shadows within the surging tide.

Hiroshi Kimura saw it clearly.

The shadows had long, slender bodies with intertwined tails, and their scales gleamed with a metallic blue light. The tides tossed them into the air one moment and pressed them underwater the next; they writhed incessantly, struggling against the tides with all their might.

These unidentified creatures resembled a swarm of snakes intertwined and mating, yet they emitted cries like those of infants. The cries echoed across the vast sea, layer upon layer, like ghosts from hell singing a dirge.

Hiroshi Kimura trembled violently, barely able to hold onto the umbrella handle. It wasn't fear, but a shiver of primal instinct, a warning signal from his body when faced with something beyond his comprehension.

A cool hand grasped his wrist.

Su Enxi turned around, grasped Kimura Hiroshi's trembling hand, and stopped him from losing his composure. Her fingers were slender yet strong, and her voice was calm: "Don't be nervous, this is a mermaid."

"Mermaid?" Kimura Hiroshi steadied the umbrella in his hand again.

He had certainly heard of mermaids. Every Japanese person had heard of them; they were one of the most famous monsters in mythology. But Japanese mermaids were quite different from the beautiful sea monsters of European legend. The mermaids spoken of by European sailors were beautiful fish-tailed ama (female warriors), with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish. They lured sailors to drown through their songs.

Japanese mermaids are complete monsters. They are extremely ugly, with bulging eyes, mouths full of long teeth, wrinkled bodies, and tails that look like pythons.

Legend has it that mermaid bones and fat can be used in medicine and are of great use to humans. Mermaid corpses do not decompose; if buried in the ground, they will remain intact long afterward. Even more mysteriously, those who eat mermaid flesh face two fates: either immortality or transformation into a monster.

In the 29th year of Emperor Koten's reign, a fisherman caught a mermaid in the Kamo River. In the 12th year of Kansei's reign, a fisherman caught a mermaid juvenile near Nishihori, Osaka. Many people had seen the juvenile, and historical records describe its cry as "like the cry of an infant."

In ancient times, mermaids roamed the waters near Japan. But they had never invaded human territory on such a large scale. Until now, monsters from myths and legends have suddenly torn open the veil of legend and invaded reality.

"There are rumors that the Black Stone Mansion is guarded by samurai who protect Atami," Su Enxi said, turning to look at Kimura Hiroshi. Raindrops dampened her hair, but they did nothing to diminish her composure. "Right?"

Hiroshi Kimura took a deep breath. The wind and rain carried the salty, fishy smell of the sea, along with a hint of sulfur.

“Yes,” he answered solemnly, “Black Rock Mansion is the Dragon-Locking Nail, which pins down the evil dragon beneath the sea.”

“Very good.” Su Enxi smiled slightly, a smile that gave people a sense of reassurance. “I like this way of putting it.”

She got up from the hot spring, wrapped herself in a dark yukata, walked barefoot to the stone table next to her, picked up her phone and handed it to Kimura Hiroshi.

"It's up to you to protect Atami. I'll tell you which button to press, so press that button. Don't press the wrong one."

Hiroshi Kimura took the phone with both hands. The screen was lit, displaying a simple interface with six number keys, from 1 to 6, none of which had any function descriptions. This was probably a remote control program, Kimura guessed, but he had no idea what pressing these keys would trigger.

Chapter 461 Mermaid (Part 2)

At this moment, the horde of mermaids had already surged into the fishing port.

The fishing port, nestled in a sheltered spot on the side of the high cliffs, was originally one of the safest harbors in Atami. But now, all the searchlights on the breakwater have been turned off, and the sea is pitch black. The people in Atami city cannot see the mermaid invasion at all. Most residents have evacuated to higher ground, and the few who remain in the city are keeping their doors and windows tightly shut, praying in the darkness that the tsunami will pass quickly.

The only two bystanders were Su Enxi and Kimura Hiroshi on the high cliff.

Towering waves slammed the mermaids heavily against the gunwale of the fishing boat. These mermaids used their sharp claws like pickaxes, digging them into the wood to firmly anchor themselves to the outside of the boat. As the previous tide receded and the next one approached, they seized the opportunity, twisting their tails and swimming upwards at astonishing speed.

When the second wave arrived, the new mermaids, unable to reach the ship's side, used their companions as stepping stones, grabbing their scales to climb up. The mermaids below, used as stepping stones, retaliated in fury.

These ferocious monsters crawled and killed each other, with limbs and tails constantly falling into the sea, their blood spreading in the water only to be washed away by the next wave. Fortunately, the fishermen had all fled ashore, and the fishing port was deserted, so for the time being, no humans became their prey.

The red-masted sailing ship moored in the middle of the fishing harbor is called the Xiangjing Maru, a marine research vessel. Several white dolphins are kept in the cabin to search for whales. At this moment, the white dolphins sense a threat and struggle to break free from their restraints, trying to escape.

Several mermaids entered the cabin.

The cabin was covered by a large canvas, and Kimura Hiroshi could see the huge white sail heaving and trembling violently, with the faint, mournful cry of dolphins carried on the wind.

Soon, the white sails turned red. Thick blood seeped from beneath the sails, flowing across the deck before being washed into the sea by the rain. The dolphins' cries gradually faded until they disappeared completely.

Other mermaids arrived a little later and, unable to hunt the most delicious white dolphins, instead pounced into the holds of other fishing boats. The fishing boats, which had just returned to port, hadn't yet unloaded their large catches; their holds were filled with sharks, tuna, and sailfish. These large fish, which dominate the ocean, were powerless against the mermaid horde.

The mermaids embraced the giant fish from behind, using their sharp claws to pierce the sides of its body, precisely locating the nerve endings, and then tearing them out. The fish didn't die, but it lost its ability to resist and was completely at the mermaids' mercy. This was probably a perfect description of being at the mercy of the mermaids. The mermaids screamed loudly, biting hard at the blood vessels at the back of the fish's head, greedily sucking fresh blood.

Hiroshi Kimura felt physically uncomfortable watching them; his stomach cramped. Once they climbed over the breakwater, it would be the humans' turn to suffer.

“Mr. Kimura, press '1'.” Su Enxi’s voice rang out, calm as ever.

Without hesitation, Hiroshi Kimura pressed "1" on his phone's keypad.

A blinding flash of light erupted in the fishing port. Not just one place, but more than a dozen explosions occurred simultaneously. More than a dozen fishing boats were transformed into massive fireballs, countless shadows were scattered by the blast waves, some were blown in two, and limbs spun in the air.

These fishing boats, used as traps, were filled not only with explosives but also with sulfur. The strong smell of gunpowder mixed with the pungent smell of sulfur rose up the high cliffs, and even the rain could not suppress it for the time being.

At least 20% of the merfolk perished in the explosion. In the firelight, their golden pupils were clearly visible—the fierce gaze characteristic of cold-blooded animals, devoid of fear, only filled with the rage of provocation.

A larger mermaid spotted the black stone mansion atop the high cliff. It tilted its head back, its throat bobbing, and let out a scream like a baby crying, but its voice was full of threat. The mermaids who appeared to be of lower status all followed suit, their eyes gleaming with a reddish-gold light in the darkness.

Su Enxi pulled her legs out of the hot spring, slowly stood up, and walked to the edge of the high cliff. Kimura Hiroshi followed Su Enxi, holding an umbrella. Rainwater soaked the hem of Su Enxi's yukata, clinging to her calves, but she was completely unaware.

Along the edge of the high cliff, a whole row of fireworks was laid out, covered with a tarpaulin. Su Enxi lifted the tarpaulin, revealing rows of fireworks tubes inside. She handed a lighter to Kimura Hiroshi, smiled, and said nothing.

Hiroshi Kimura understood what his master wanted to do.

Although it seemed foolish, and those ferocious-looking mermaids below had already noticed this place, setting off fireworks would undoubtedly further reveal their location. But Kimura Hiroshi was the butler of the Black Stone Mansion, and he did whatever his master told him to do.

He lit the lighter, and the windproof Zippo sprayed out a jet of flame. Kimura Hiroshi bent down and lit the fuses of the fireworks one by one.

"Hiss—", the sound of the fuse burning was drowned out by the wind and rain, but soon, a pillar of fire shot into the sky.

Fireworks and firecrackers burst in the evening breeze. Various patterns were clearly visible in the dark night sky, including a silver-haired anime elf girl that the boss had told Su Enxi to wear, who looked a lot like Frilline.

"She's truly hopeless," Su Enxi thought, standing beside the fireworks, her gaze meeting the hundreds of crimson-gold eyes around her. The colors of the fireworks flickered across her face.

"Good evening, ancient bloodline," Su Enxi greeted them, her voice not loud, yet it seemed to penetrate the wind and rain and reach the ears of those non-human beings.

The merfolk were enraged and charged towards the location. Their intentions were crystal clear: to attack Blackrock Mansion and tear apart the humans who dared to challenge them.

All the mermaids were moving closer. Kimura Hiroshi understood Su Enxi's intention: in order to annihilate these invaders, she was willing to use herself as bait to lure the mermaid horde to the designated area.

Kimura Hiroshi stood behind Su Enxi like a samurai, and despite seeing the mythical monsters and scenes comparable to hell, he remained incredibly calm.

Now, all of this should be under the master's control.

Someone like Su Enxi should be wearing an expensive Christian Dior No. 2 suit and Christian Louboutin black-faced red-soled high heels, standing firm amidst raging storms, manipulating events with her slender wrists. Even now, dressed only in a simple bathrobe and standing barefoot in the downpour, her composed aura remains undiminished.

"Press 2." Su Enxi kicked the unexploded firework box away. "It's raining so hard, yet it didn't explode."

"Yes," Kimura Hiroshi pressed the "2" on his phone keypad.

"Whoo-hoo," it didn't sound like the whistle of a fishing boat; the sound was heavier and more powerful.

Immediately afterwards, the lights on the bridge came on, and various instrument panels in the cockpit began to flash. But the cockpit was empty.

Hiroshi Kimura's eyes widened. It was a warship. A US Navy Perry-class frigate, Seventh Fleet, USS St. Louis. When did it get there? Kimura had no idea. While Atami Fishing Port could accommodate large ships, US frigates typically didn't dock there.

The St. Louis roared and broke free of its anchor, slowly pulling away from the dock. Strangely, there was no one on board, yet all the equipment operated on its own, as if an invisible hand was controlling everything.

"Rat-a-tat-tat!" The Phalanx CIWS, with a rate of fire of 4500 rounds per minute, roared first, its six 20mm cannons spinning at 3000 revolutions per minute, spitting out deadly tongues of fire. Almost simultaneously, the 76mm rapid-fire anti-aircraft guns joined the chorus, raining down shells on the approaching swarm of mermaids.